Ever since the acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney back in October, Kathleen Kennedy has been a very busy lady. Once George Lucas stepped down, she was promoted from co-chair to president of the company and signed on to serve as the executive producer of J.J. Abrams’ ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ and the following two movies after that. She’ll likely do the same for the rumored spinoff movies for Han Solo, Boba Fett, and/or Yoda as well. But what about her other projects outside of the galaxy far, far away? Will she be able to balance other projects, especially ‘Jurassic Park IV’? According to the most recent reports, she won’t have to.
Kennedy has produced the previous three dinosaur films along with Steven Spielberg, but it appears that the upcoming installment of the franchise will have to proceed without her. /Film notes that her husband, Frank Marshall, revealed on Twitter that Kennedy will no longer be attached to ‘Jurassic Park IV’ due to her commitments to ‘Star Wars’:
Currently, ‘Jurassic Park’ is on the lookout for a director to helm the project written by ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ team Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. At one point, ‘Jurassic Park III’ director Joe Johnston was attached to return, but it’s unclear whether he’d be available at this point. Other than it’s 2014 release, additional details on the film are scarce, but in celebration of the first film’s 20th anniversary, the original ‘Jurassic Park’ is set to be rereleased on April 5, 2013 in 3D.
It’s always a bummer to hear that original key players in a franchise are unable to return, but Kennedy certainly has her hands full at the moment. What do you think of her decision to step down from ‘Jurassic Park IV’? Do you agree that it’s best for her to focus all her energy on ‘Star Wars’ right now? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
‘Jurassic Park 4’, which will be shot and released in 3D, has been scheduled to hit theaters on June 13, 2014.
